John Whaite won the Great British Bake Off and declined a life at the office for one at the oven. The young cooks spills the beans on his recipe for success

BAKE OFF fans are likely to have a soft spot for John Whaite, the young Northern lad who was studying for his finals at the same time as competing for that coveted title as Britain’s best amateur baker.

But winning the title back in 2012 immediately brought a dilemma for John, who had just secured a first-class law degree from Manchester University.

“I won a place on a graduate scheme at a bank earning £36,000 - not bad for a 22-year-old straight from university. It was a bloody good job.

“I thought about it and decided I wasn’t going to be happy. I just hoped I wasn’t going to regret not taking the job.”

Three years on, John’s brave decision has paid off. Not only is he the author of two cookbooks, he has a food column in The Telegraph and is a regular cook on ITV’s Lorraine. He has also set up a chocolate business and this autumn will open his own cookery school in a converted barn at his family farm near Wigan.

Food has been a passion since he was a small child. Baking, he readily admits, has helped him cope with bouts of depression.

“Depression has been a big part of my life and baking has helped immensely. It’s creative, constructive, meditative - and social; once you’ve baked a tray of cupcakes you have to take them out and share them.

“Baking has helped me through those miserable, inward-looking days all my life. I’ve always found great solace.”

John had a method to help him bake away the blues. “I’d open a recipe book and tell myself no matter what it was, I had to achieve it that day. Sometimes I would just get ingredients and invent something from them.”

When it comes to ingredients, John admits he is not as adventurous as some cooks. “A lot of food writers put flavours together just to be different.”

Despite this, he admits to having a weakness at the moment for peanut butter and Bourbon. “I’ve been putting these flavours into ice-cream, cocktails and cakes.”

The recipe he is sharing with The Press readers has a surprise in the topping: lemon sherbet. “It gives it that bit of punch and a real citrus kick.”

Fans can see his wizardry at close hand this summer when John comes to North Yorkshire for the 2015 Cake & Bake Show at the Harrogate International Centre from June 19-21. He will doing masterclasses as well as demos and taking part in a Q&A session.

Joining him for the event will be Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace, TV cooks Rosemary Shrager and Phil Vickery and actress and celebrity foodie Lisa Faulkner.

John says its great to see a revival of interest in baking. “It can be a reasonably economic hobby and part of a great British tradition.”

The 2015 Cake & Bake Show will run at the Harrogate International Centre from June 19-21. Tickets prices are: adults £15; children from £7; concessions £12.50. Find out more and book tickets at thecakeandbakeshow.co.uk/harrogate

John’s recipe for lemon sherbet cake

THE word ‘sherbet’ evokes memories of youth, but, ironically, I disliked sherbet as a child – I was a kid who needed a more toothsome, chewy sort of jelly sweet. This cake is perfect for baking with children, because the cake batter uses a ‘one mix’ method, so there is no need to go through the stages of making a cake, which can sometimes tire fickle little kids. And though it’s a simple cake to make, with a simple filling, the presentation takes it up a notch. This cake is a nod to all things youthful, but it is also absolutely acceptable at a sophisticated, child-free gathering.

Ingredients

(serves 10/12)

For the candied lemon topping:

2 lemons

600ml water (in batches of 200ml)

100g sugar

100ml water

75g golden caster sugar

For the cake:

Zest of 3 lemons

4 eggs

225g golden caster sugar

225g Stork

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

For the filling: 400ml whipping cream

500g mascarpone cheese

300g icing sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 packets of lemon Dip Dabs (sherbet only)

Icing sugar, to dust

Essential equipment: Two 20cm/8-inch loose- bottomed round cake tins, greased and lined with baking paper Cake stand at least 20cm/8 inches across Disposable piping bag fitted with 12mm nozzle

Method

For the lemon topping, use a potato peeler to pare thick strips of peel from the lemons – if you get any white pith, scrape it off with a knife. Chop the lemon peel into thin matchsticks, then place in a small saucepan with 200ml water.

Bring to the boil, then drain the water, place the lemon zest back into the pan with another 200ml water and repeat. Drain again then repeat – you should bring the lemon zest to the boil 3 times in total. Set the drained lemon zest matchsticks aside. Place the 100g sugar and 100ml water in the saucepan and bring to the boil until the sugar is dissolved, then return the lemon zest and allow to poach for about 5 minutes. Drain. Place the 75g caster sugar in a bowl and add the lemon matchsticks. Toss in the sugar then arrange on a baking sheet and allow to dry out for a few hours (overnight is better).

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4.

Place the ingredients for the cake into a mixing bowl and beat together until well incorporated and smooth. If you have a freestanding electric mixer, use the paddle attachment.

Divide the batter between the two prepared tins, and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, before removing from the tins and turning on to a cooling rack until completely cold.

Meanwhile, make the filling by whipping the cream to very soft floppy peaks. Fold this into the mascarpone along with the sifted icing sugar and lemon zest until smooth. Then quickly beat in the lemon juice – though don’t overbeat, as you don’t want the mixture to split.

When the cake is cooled, and the candied lemon is dry, slice each cake in half horizontally so that you have four layers. Place one on the cake stand. Fill the piping bag with the filling and pipe little blobs around the edge of the cake, then a spiral of filling in the centre. Sprinkle over a third of the sherbet, then top with another slice of cake. Repeat this until you have four layers of cake and three layers of cream and sherbet. Sift a layer of icing sugar over the top, then scatter over the candied lemon matchsticks.